Shamrock Series Thread

[Buster Bluth]

As requested, so we don't clog up other threads. The Series is in my opinion one of the coolest new traditions in college football, and such a benefit to recruiting, the brand, and Notre Dame as a whole. I'm actually surprised more teams with national followings don't start having similar events.

I'm going to update this map sometime soon, but for now here's a map of where recruits were from from 2010 through some of 2013 (I probably have guys on it who didn't sign with '13). Including are what I hypothesized would be the ND region (green) and the ACC's reach (pre-Louisville addition).

Judging by the map, I think Houston and New Orleans (though it has the Sugar Bowl opportunity) are musts in the future. Places like Atlanta/Charlotte/eastern seaboard are tough to make a case for considering it's now in ACC territory and the team will be around on ACC trips (though I still think New York and Boston are worth trips for obvious reasons).

Some places I'd like to see the Irish if we're only deciding in terms of how recruiting territory has the most potential:

New Orleans
Seattle
Denver
Phoenix

Shamrock Series history:

2009: San Antonio, TX | vs Washington, W 40-14
2010: New York, NY | vs Army, W 27-3
2011: Washington, DC | vs Maryland, W 45-21
2012: Chicago, IL | vs Miami, W 41-3
2013: Dallas, TX | vs #22 Arizona State, W 37-34
2014: Indianapolis, IN | vs Purdue
2015: Boston, MA | vs Boston College
2016: San Antonio, TX | vs Army

 

[Buster Bluth]

Although I can say with 100% certainty that if Notre Dame ever played here I will be there no matter how far the trip or expensive the tickets:

 

[GreenSox04]

Been waiting for this thread. As I mentioned in Mac trucks thread id love to see scUM/ northwestern/ Wisconsin at Lambeu
2) BC at Fenway

3) Oregon/ Washington/ ucla in citylink field or candlestick

Love the shamrock series. Easily one of the coolest things in college football today.

 

[calvegas04]

Seattle would be nice. New Orleans would be a fun trip as well.

 

[BobD]

The 2015 Stanford game played at the San Francisco 49ers new Levi Stadium would be great.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Why play local schools at their stadium? We played Miami in Chicago and Arizona State in Dallas. I don't think we will play teams in stadiums that are 15 miles away from their campus. Boise State in Seattle or TCU in New Orleans would be way more likely than Washington in Seattle or Stanford in Santa Clara.

 

[BobD]

Why play local schools at their stadium? We played Miami in Chicago and Arizona State in Dallas. I don't think we will play teams in stadiums that are 15 miles away from their campus. Boise State in Seattle or TCU in New Orleans would be way more likely than Washington in Seattle or Stanford in Santa Clara.

Why? A game against Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium would be nice also. What's your reasoning?

 

[GBdomer]

Although I can say with 100% certainty that if Notre Dame ever played here I will be there no matter how far the trip or expensive the tickets:

MY CITY

 

[NDWorld247]

From UND.com (http://www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/100213aag.html):

Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta and Denver might be a few possible future landing spots for a Shamrock Series game given the potential regional opponents and large alumni presence in those areas.

"Having a story to tell, that's really what this is all about," Swarbrick says. "Just going somewhere to play a football game isn't the same as going to New York and celebrating the tradition and history with the military academies, or going to D.C, and celebrating our governmental relations, going to Chicago and celebrating the Chicago presence that Notre Dame has. When you do those, it knits it together for you. So as we look to venues, there's some we choose because they are historic venues, there's some because they give us an area that we can turn into a Notre Dame celebration. Those are the things we are looking for."

Swarbrick says the success of the previous Shamrock Series games has created enough excitement that finding an ideal venue and interested opponent is never a problem. "We get more inquiries than we could possibly handle," he says.

Been waiting for this thread. As I mentioned in Mac trucks thread id love to see scUM/ northwestern/ Wisconsin at Lambeu
2) BC at Fenway

3) Oregon/ Washington/ ucla in citylink field or candlestick

Love the shamrock series. Easily one of the coolest things in college football today.

I believe BC at Fenway is being discussed for BC's home game vs. ND, not the Shamrock Series.

 

[blueNDgold44]

How bout an SEC team at Lambeau in November?

Obviously that would never happen but I would love it. But being realistic how about V Tech or Clemson in the SuperDome?

 

[BGIF]

The 2015 Stanford game played at the San Francisco 49ers new Levi Stadium would be great.

Not for a Shamrock game. Same for UW in Seattle.

Shamrock games are actually a ND home game played on a neutral field. That's what gives NBC the TV rights. The Pac 12 TV rights holder has claims on any Pac 12 team playing within their region. Same for SEC, Big 12, etc. Alabama couldn't play ND in Atlanta in a Shamrock game for that reason but they could play in Texas. FSU in Atlanta would be the same deal, ACC rights. FSU might travel to Texas but would they go to the West Coast?


ND has to find an opponent who is also from outside the stadium TV rights holder's area. That's why WSU and ASU were good fits playing in Texas. They would also work in Florida or Atlanta.

Denver is not a recruiting hotbed. I doubt Seattle is high up that list as well. TX, CA, FL would be prime choices and ND already has one game a year booked in CA, one year Northern and the next year Southern.

New Orleans is great location for fans to visit and provides recruiting exposure to LA, TX, ARK, MS and maybe OK and AL as well as. ND has also played in the Meadowlands and Yankee Stadium but Rutgers has balked at doing so again and Connecticut has balked at Foxboro.

Fenway is a cool location but the seating capacity is a no go. ND played Dartmouth in Fenway during WWII.

 

[sportallyr]

Sorry if this has already been discussed, but do we have a Shamrock Series game scheduled yet for next season or is that yet to be determined?

 

[BGIF]

How bout an SEC team at Lambeau in November?

Obviously that would never happen but I would love it. But being realistic how about V Tech or Clemson in the SuperDome?

SEC don't want to go to South Bend in November. Hell they think Kentucky is too cold in November. Southern Cal won't play in South Bend in November because of the cold.

Florida has only travelled out of The South about a half dozen times in the past 60 or 70 years. They flat out refuse. They want warm weather games.


VT or Clemson would work there. VT isn't afraid to travel nor play a named program for exposure. I'm not sure Clemson has that same attitude. But both of these are going to be showing up on ND's schedule in the next few years anyway. They want ND in their back yard.


Not according to Swarbrick in an August '13 article:

Part of that will be resolving a 2014 "Shamrock Series" game, in which the Irish take a home game to an off-site location. Swarbrick said ACC opponents -- North Carolina, Louisville or Wake Forest, in the case of 2014 -- could be co-opted into that series.

"I think you will see that a lot in the future, where we take a game that you would think of as a 'regular' game and take that game somewhere as part of the Shamrock Series," Swarbrick said. "I can certainly anticipate future ACC opponents being opponents in a Shamrock Series game."

Notre Dame football: 2014 schedule still in flux - Chicago Tribune

I'm not sure how an ACC opponent played in ACC would work with NBC. I suspect it would require the game to be outside of ACC territory so New Orleans or Texas would work but Orlando wouldn't.

In '14 ND already has a game scheduled with Syracuse for the Meadowlands.

 

[BGIF]

Why? A game against Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium would be nice also. What's your reasoning?

Why would ND want to play another game in Indiana?

Half the schedule or more is already played there. No recruiting edge, no "orphan" fan base that doesn't get to see a live game, loss of home game revenue ... no reason.

 

[BobD]

Why would ND want to play another game in Indiana?

Half the schedule or more is already played there. No recruiting edge, no "orphan" fan base that doesn't get to see a live game, loss of home game revenue ... no reason.

I was thinking for kind of the same reason the kids like the flashy uniforms. Playing in the pro arenas is a big deal.

 

[Buster Bluth]

As Swarbrick said, I fully anticipate ACC teams being common for the Shamrock game. Like >50%. It's just easier to schedule.

I love the idea of Boise State in Seattle.

Again I doubt you'll ever see a Shamrock game in California. Maybe San Diego, maybe.

I think every four years the game should be in Texas. Rotate it between Dallas and Houston. Maybe New Orleans too.

 

[NDWorld247]

As Swarbrick said, I fully anticipate ACC teams being common for the Shamrock game. Like >50%. It's just easier to schedule.

I love the idea of Boise State in Seattle.

Again I doubt you'll ever see a Shamrock game in California. Maybe San Diego, maybe.

I think every four years the game should be in Texas. Rotate it between Dallas and Houston. Maybe New Orleans too.

I think we'll end up being in this part of the country more often than not. I agree the ACC teams make the most sense, but they also limit the cities we can go to for the reasons BGIF mentioned above.

Looking at our future schedules (next 3 years), Navy (2015) is the only non-ACC home game that makes sense to play as part of the Shamrock Series.

 

[BGIF]

I think we'll end up being in this part of the country more often than not. I agree the ACC teams make the most sense, but they also limit the cities we can go to for the reasons BGIF mentioned above.

Looking at our future schedules (next 3 years), Navy (2015) is the only non-ACC home game that makes sense to play as part of the Shamrock Series.

Navy is really the anchor of the Shamrock Series. ND and Navy have played in about a dozen venues over the past 85 years. Seattle or San Diego would both be appropriate locations for a Navy game. They also make FL easier to schedule.

And if there are any prospects in Japan, Bahrain, or Diego Garcia ...

 

[GBdomer]

How bout an SEC team at Lambeau in November?

Obviously that would never happen but I would love it. But being realistic how about V Tech or Clemson in the SuperDome?

LSU is playing Wisconsin in a couple years at Lambeau

 

[Buster Bluth]

I think we'll end up being in this part of the country more often than not. I agree the ACC teams make the most sense, but they also limit the cities we can go to for the reasons BGIF mentioned above.

Looking at our future schedules (next 3 years), Navy (2015) is the only non-ACC home game that makes sense to play as part of the Shamrock Series.

Who so? Every team in the country will want to play in Texas/anywhere. It's exposure. Swarbrick has said they're getting a buttload of inquiries. "Notre Dame vs North Carolina in New Orleans" is something we will see.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Navy is really the anchor

hehehe

of the Shamrock Series. ND and Navy have played in about a dozen venues over the past 85 years. Seattle or San Diego would both be appropriate locations for a Navy game. They also make FL easier to schedule.

And if there are any prospects in Japan, Bahrain, or Diego Garcia ...

One could probably make the argument that the Navy Series was the Shamrock Series for so long, giving Notre Dame exposure to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Orlando, Cleveland, New Jersey, Dublin, etc. It really gives Notre Dame the opportunity to move around again. I'd like to see Notre Dame vs Navy in San Diego in the future, and in Cleveland for old time's sake (they've played there nine times I think).

 

[Irishnuke]

The only problem with playing in San Diego is that Qualcomm Stadium is a total shithole. The surrounding communities are nice and obviously San Diego is beautiful, but Qualcomm is what is preventing San Diego from hosting any more Super Bowls.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

I agree with the cities except Denver - That provides no benefit to ND. That not a hotbed for ND recruiting, nor top notch talent. Add in the elevation.....thats a recipe for something we dont want haha.

 

[Cackalacky]

The Shamrock series are essentially home games for us correct? How are the season ticket holders accepting losing a home game every year?

Due to our ACC schedule do we think we will schedule one of our traditional rivalries as one of these games?

I like the Texas/Oklahoma match-up (home/home), not as a SS game.


We could play Mizzou in St. Louis.

 

[Cackalacky]

We should play MSU in Detroit. Just to spite scUM.

 

[Irish#1]

As Swarbrick said, I fully anticipate ACC teams being common for the Shamrock game. Like >50%. It's just easier to schedule.

I love the idea of Boise State in Seattle.

Again I doubt you'll ever see a Shamrock game in California. Maybe San Diego, maybe.

I think every four years the game should be in Texas. Rotate it between Dallas and Houston. Maybe New Orleans too.

I don't think you'll see us play a western team out west. The opposition would be at a bigger advantage when it comes to travel and the time difference. I could see a team from the eastern or possibly central time zone scheduled out west.

 

[arrowryan]

I would like to play Wisconsin in NOLA

Louisville in Miami

Penn State in Houston

 

[Cackalacky]

I loved seeing the Army game in Yankee Stadium. So much old school.

 

[BobD]

Notre Dame vs Florida International in China, to get off to an SEC kind of start.

 

[irishfan]

I'd like to see a simple 3-year rotation going as follows

1) Cowboys Stadium.
2) NY/NJ (either Giants Stadium or Yankee Stadium)
3) Atlanta/New Orleans

I don't like the idea of playing in the Midwest. I don't think it offers much recruiting-wise. We already play at least 7 games in the Midwest every year. Playing in Boston is even more pointless from a recruiting standpoint. Just no talent in New England. California could be cool. Play at the Niners new stadium one year and then down in San Diego the next year. I really think we should just stick with the three regions above though for these games.